


Station 34B: A Reliable Man

by turianbrandy



Series: ToQGer Shorts [1]
Category: Super Sentai Series, 烈車戦隊トッキュウジャー | Ressha Sentai ToQger
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-25 18:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14384757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turianbrandy/pseuds/turianbrandy
Summary: After resolving a run-in with unwanted affections and a cueball-crazed Shadow, one Toqger struggles with a pain he kept deep inside, while another realizes emotions she didn't know she had all along.





	Station 34B: A Reliable Man

**Author's Note:**

> This is set after the Events of Episode 34 ("Big Romance Uproar")  
> This also references events in Episode 4 ('Be Careful not to Forget Anything"), Episode 8 ("Rainbow Line's Big Explosion"), Episode 10 ("Tokatti Dies with the Sunset"), and Episode 27 ("A New Power")

After successfully dodging Omotesandou, the Rainbow Line departs for their next station. Everyone plopped down on their seats. Right and Tokacchi sat by their usual place at the table and was joined by Akira, Hikari took his near the doors, Kagura sat on one of the benches, while Mio sat next to her. Wagon had prepared sumptuous meals for everyone after the day's unusual events, hoping the bentou would take their minds off it. It didn't. At least for most of them.

Tokacchi, while relieved that the whole "date" fiasco was over, was still bothered by the fact that Mio had chosen Akira. He kept replaying Wagon's intense words of how a reliable man "let his back do his speaking for him". He checked his back once more... it didn't look like it spoke anything beyond how thin his frame was and how he could be a klutz sometimes. Maybe he should ask Akira for help in that regard. Mio seems to find backs like his as "reliable" after all. He jabbed his chopsticks at the bentou a little too hard, catching the attention of Hikari.

Hikari didn't like meddling into the affairs of others, especially when it concerns their feelings for one another. He was concerned however with Tokacchi. Seeing his friend just run off with Hyper Ressha and pound their billiard-loving foe to bits was amusing, yet Hikari saw how Tokacchi's unexpressed feelings could cloud his judgement. They were lucky this latest Shadow was relatively easy to handle. What if it was a tougher one? What if it was one of Zett's generals or Zett himself? Speaking of, why were the last few Shadows... somehow weaker, than the usual Shadow Line flavor. The sound of furious munching breaks his concentration. Obviously, it was Right, and his loud eating habits did remind Hikari that he was hungry. He decides he can think this over with his kendama later on and pulls apart the wrapping of his sandwich and begins to eat.

Right was absorbed with the important task at hand of mowing through Wagon's food supplies. He was on his third bentou, and he had to gobble this down as fast as he can so he can down the next one while it was still warm. In between every five or so mouthfuls, he'd note there was something unusual in the cabin today. What did go on with the pretend date? Did he miss something fun? Why'd Hikari keep me away earlier? And what was with Tokacchi? Or maybe he was just still hungry. Burping loudly, he reaches for bentou four.

Kagura was startled by Right's burping. Looks like he and Hikari had a really tough time with that Billiard Shadow. It was a shame that they couldn't have joined them in today's operation though! It was so much fun to play pretend! From being Akira's personal fashion designer, which was one of her many, many dreams ( _FASHION GIRL!!!_ ), to being Mio-chan's spy bodyguard, Kagura felt that she really put her imagination to work today. But it seemed that, aside from Wagon, she was the only one who had fun during the day. She looked at the rest of her companions. Mio didn't just look tired, there was something about how she felt after the whole thing that she couldn't quite understand. Neither could she fully grasp why Tokacchi was weird. She made a mental note to ask Hikari about it later on. She glanced at Akira, and laughed at how silly their friend was acting.

Cleary that was not his place to die, Akira thought. But this unsettling feeling after that encounter with that strange human stayed with him until the train left the station. Humans are odd creatures. It's not as if emotion was absent among Shadows. Just the way it is expressed is different. Kissing is a rare gesture as Shadow mouth anatomy was not suited for such acts. He was able to learn the technique thanks to Wagon's looting of Conductor's video pile in preparation for any eventuality. Omotesandou's reaction was... very unusual. What was with the way he stared? It was... piercing, unnecessarily obtrusive, like a hunter seeing its prey. He reached for the food, hoping it will give him something else to look at. Is that what Mio felt? He looked at Mio to see how she was, but doing so only made him remember Omotesandou's eyes. He shivered again.

Akira's shivering did not go unnoticed to Mio. Poor Akira. Imagine having to kiss a creeper like that. She had to drag him into all of this just so that they could get rid of her stalker and continue their mission of stopping the Shadow Line. She was glad that this ordeal was over. She hates thinking about dates and relationships, mostly because she couldn't truly fathom the feelings that came with them. It seemed all too messy for her. She cares for all of them on the train, Right, Hikari, Akira, and especially Kagura. And Tokacchi too. Tokacchi. He can be so clumsy sometimes, but when situations turned for the worse, she knew how reliable he could be. It was amazing how he was able to take that Shadow down all by himself. She was in a pinch when he charged in to fight. She should thank him for that. Yes, Tokacchi would like that.

Mio stood up from her bench. "Tokacchi! You fought well today!" Smiling at him from across the cabin.

Hearing Mio call out his name startled Tokacchi, prompting him to drop his chopsticks, stand, and knock his glasses off in one smooth motion. "Ah! Hehe!" _Say something you clumsy oaf!! Stop fumbling!!_ "It was nothing! Hahahaha!" _What the hell was that Haru Tokacchi!?!_ He wanted to kick himself right then and there for not even getting the words right.

 _Quickly_ , he thought, _I must save this moment_. "Uh, uh uh, you looked very beautiful today!" _Oh. No._ Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Hikari stare at him with wide eyes. "I mean! The whole plan was beautiful! Yes! That is what I meant! Although I think we could have used a better script!"

Tokacchi regreted the words the moment it escaped his mouth. Everyone else stared at him. Except for Right. Right was still focused on his fifth bentou. He silently prayed that Ticket would burst in and declare a station that was overrun by a Shadow. At that moment, the frontmost door slid open. Tokacchi exhaled a sigh of relief, and turned around hoping to see the Conductor. He instead saw Wagon staring at him, prompting a sharp intake of breath that caused him to knock his glasses off once more.

Wagon jumped closer to Tokacchi's seat. "Really? A better script you say? Iyaaa!! Intensely tell me how you would have done it!"

Tokacchi swallowed a lump as he fumbled for his glasses. He tried to look at Right for help. Right continued to stare back at him while chewing. He is not going to be of help. Tokacchi then looked at Akira, but the man had already pulled his helmet down and began fishing for his harmonica. Kagura looked like she had no plan of helping either, as she shot up from her seat and exclaimed, "Yeah! I want to hear too!" Thankfully Hikari stood up and tried to contain Kagura. Sheepishly, he moved his gaze towards Mio, who only responded with a curious look and a sideways head tilt. _I'm going to die_ , Tokacchi thought. Of all days for crazy Nero to run out of ideas to use against them, it had to be this day!

Tokacchi tried to mumble his way out of this predicament. "Intensely speak louder! Iyaaaa!!!" Wagon urged. Tokacchi attempted to negotiate with Wagon by saying that "I don't have any ideas at all! Ha ha ha!"

Right swallowed a gyoza then chimed in, "You said something earlier about how you would have treated Mio differently. He he he. Don't be shy Tokacchi! I'm sure it's a good idea!" Of all times that Right could become attentive, it had to be this moment! Tokacchi wanted nothing more than to grab the entire gyoza platter and smack it across Right's face.

"I want to hear!" Kagura said, with her hand shooting up into the air, easily overpowering Hikari's grip.

Wagon jumped closer. Akira bent his head lower. Kagura leaned in closer. Hikari sighed. Right swallowed another gyoza. And Mio.... Tokacchi could feel the temperature in the room rise by a considerable few degrees.

Mio just looked at Tokacchi. _So there was something wrong with Tokacchi after all_ , she figured. Why did he look so nervous? Why does he keep trying to avoid looking at her? Maybe she said something wrong to him?

Hikari broke the silence. "Might as well tell them Tokacchi. It'll be good for you."

Tokacchi stepped out from their cubicle. "It's nothing really! I just thought I could have guided Akira better for his date with Mio because there are things that would make it easier for her to pretend to be happy. I would have taken her out instead to a cake store, since she loves to cook and bake. Then I would have taken her to the amusement park and take her for a ride on the Carousel since she loves those. And I wouldn't try to hold her hand first. I'd make her smile first with stories so she'd be more comfortable being with me. I mean, with Akira!"

Tokacchi's voice was cracking the whole time he was speaking. He swallowed another lump. "I thought if we did that, it would be more convincing..." The cabin stayed unusually quiet. Akira seems to have noticed that, and began playing his theme on the harmonica. Tokacchi decided that he bared too much of his feelings for one day, excused himself, and hurried off to the opposite end of the coach. He couldn't look at Mio after saying all that.

Mio was stunned, to say the least, with Tokacchi's words. She thought of what he said. She smiled to herself as she realized that's exactly how she'd like to spend a day with someone. Tokacchi knows her too well. There was something about him that always set him apart in her eyes. She was about to respond to him when he suddenly hurried off back to his train. Her eyes followed his back as he left the room. That's when she realized...

 _*Tokacchi and Mio are trying to hike a mountain to get to the Okuyama Dam*_  
**Mio:** "I wonder if I have less imagination than the rest of you. I don't think I can imagine anything without Right leading me. So I'm not sure why I was chosen to be a ToQGer... When you told me to work out my Imagination... that hurt. Because it hit a soft spot."  
**Tokacchi:** "No way! You're amazing, Mio! You back everyone up. Even me... We couldn't have the ToQGers without you Mio!"

Mio remembered that Tokacchi always knew what to say to make her feel better... Thank you, she says in response. As she walks back towards him, she slips on the dried leaves settled on the rock, causing her to fall... Tokacchi lunges forward and catches her hand... flashing back to a similar moment when they were children...

 **Mio:** "That's the moment I thought you were reliable"...

Tokacchi was always reliable...  
_*end flashback*_

Reliable... Mio thought to herself...

 _*flashbacks*_  
**Kagura:** Hey, Mio-chan! What would you consider a reliable man?  
...  
**Wagon:** A reliable man... iyaaaaa!! Its true appearance is important... A man should be silent and let his back do his speaking for him.

Mio thought of all the times that Tokacchi would always be in front of her during battle... She knew that Tokacchi respected her as a strong fighter... but he would always look out for her... how he would put himself in between danger and herself...

Like how he begged her to leave him in case the Bomb Shadow on his neck exploded...

Like when they were in Samayoi Station... she remembered how Tokacchi, despite being heavily wounded, tried to protect her with his untransformered self from Bishop... luckily Right came... she remembered fearing for Tokacchi's life... seeing him so willingly stand in harm's way...

She remembered what it felt like when she thought she lost him... When the Typewriter Shadow cursed him to die at sunset...  
**Mio:** Tokacchi! Hey, Tokacchi! Hey!!! Hey Tokacchi!!!  
And what she felt when he came back...

Tokacchi really was reliable.  
_*flashback ends*_

Mio watched the doors close behind Tokacchi.

Hikari walked over to her. "Mio, I still remember the secret you told me. And no, you didn't need to buy my silence by trying to sneak vegetables in my food. But there's someone else that should know that."

All this time... Tokacchi...

A loud burp broke the silence. "Wagon-san!! Can I have some more?"


End file.
